


A Lone Voice in the Airwaves

by Applesaday



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-21
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-27 11:52:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5047462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Applesaday/pseuds/Applesaday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma Swan is a reclusive radio show host who offers love advice late at night to callers. Regina Mills is a one-time caller, convinced she won't get answers by calling, despite her friend's insistence. After a "could've gone better" first call, Regina becomes determined to find why Emma is so secretive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beneath Your Beautiful – Labrinth feat Emili Sande

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Misslane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misslane/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! Another story!
> 
> You might be wondering, yet another!? What happened to all the ones I've been meaning to update?
> 
> And to that, dear readers, I will just assure you that updates are coming! This fic is completed, and I'll be updating daily with the chapters.
> 
> This story is for Misslane, who wanted a small story and got...16k words instead!
> 
> She liked it, so I hope you all like it too!

* * *

 

Emma Swan was cursed.

It had been a peculiar thing. One day, everything was fine and dandy; when the clock chimed midnight, and she turned 18, she was no longer visible.

Literally. For the past ten years, she had been utterly invisible to the entire world.

"Maybe you're so good-looking, the world isn't ready for it," her best friend and roommate, as well as the only person who knew she still existed, Ruby Lucas, quipped when she had found out.

Emma had leveled her with a glare for it. Or rather, she would have, if she had been visible. "Not funny. And I'm glaring at you, just for your information."

Ruby had cackled. "Oh yeah, I can feel the invisible lasers making a gaping hole between my eyebrows."

Leading a normal life while invisible was…difficult to say the least, to not say outright impossible. She couldn't make any friends, and the few times that Ruby had tried to help her had only resulted in screams and/or running. Some were a bit more interesting in their reactions, like those who believed it to be a good ventriloquism joke, and the poor girl who claimed she would get Ruby exorcised, returning to douse her with holy water.

So she stayed locked up in their loft, experiencing the world from her windowsill. The only time she left the house was when she went downstairs to the radio station that she operated from the main floor of the building. Just because she was invisible, didn't mean that she had to live as a hermit. So she hosted the town's radio station.

Her voice still functioned wonders, so nothing stopped her from taking control of Storybrooke's only radio station, SYBE 108.7, where she played everything from Top 40 hits, or even themed musical extravaganzas like Friday Night Oldies, where she allowed the geriatric to relieve their glory days through music.

Her true success though, was with her love advice hour hosted every night at midnight. Listeners would call in with romantic problems that they had, and Emma would offer advice in return. Granted she didn't have much personal experience - the whole invisibility thing killed her chances - but she had read books, heard stories, seen people from her window, and had Ruby's numerous stories engraved in her brain, so she knew enough to get her through.

The town was large enough that listeners who called could be completely anonymous, but she still had a few who disguised their voices just in case. Emma didn't mind though, she got to interact with new people every day.

* * *

"Mary Margaret, if you tell me to call that ridiculous love advice show one more time, I am grabbing one of your birdhouses, and throwing it over your head," Regina threatened.

She wasn't  _actually_  threatening her, but she did want her friend to ease up on this insistence that Regina's love life could be somehow revived by this bizarre talk show.

"Oh come on Regina, what have you got to lose?" Clearly Mary Margaret wasn't too fazed with the threat, since she didn't let up, her hopeful eyes and dopey smile still on at full blast.

"My time and my mental sanity?" Regina dryly quipped. "Why would I want to seek help from someone who hides behind a pseudonym?"

Mary Margaret frowned. "A pseudonym? What makes you say that?"

Regina let out a scoff. Typical of her friend, taking everything at face value. "No one can have such a perfect name as Emma Swan, perfect for romantics since swans mate for life. Not to mention that I checked the census, there's no one with that name living here. Ever. In fact, the station's ownership is under the name Ruby Lucas, the gossipmonger waitress at Granny's Diner. She also hosts the weekly events hour on that radio show. So either Ms. Lucas disguises her voice and pretends to be this Emma Swan, or there's someone living here illegally in this town."

"For someone who hates this radio station, you certainly have done your homework," the schoolteacher quipped, a knowing smirk on her face.

"I didn't say I hated the station, I just think the advice show is bogus. And in a town like Storybrooke, it's not like we have many options regarding radio station varieties," Regina was quick to retort. "I'm just taking a vested interest in this town, as part of my role as mayor. Plus, I have Henry, what more could I need?"

It was true that the son she had adopted a few years ago, after her last attempt at romance fizzed, was the light of her life, but clearly, her friend still thought she should get back into it.

"Sure, whatever you want to believe, Regina." Nonetheless, when Mary Margaret held out the card with the radio's number, Regina begrudgingly took it.

* * *

"Maybe the problem is that you've both forgotten what attracted you both to each other in the first place. Remind him of that, hold a romantic dinner and enjoy yourselves. Just because you're domesticated doesn't mean the fire has to die out, okay?"

The man on the other end of the line seemed ecstatic. "Yeah, that sounds perfect, thank you so much, Emma!"

"Not a problem. Wish you all the best!" Emma pressed the 'Call End' button on her console and spoke one more into the microphone. "Got a burning question about your own love life? Call me now and we can figure out whatever conundrum you've got. Meanwhile, here's a fresh hit for you."

Emma turned her mic off and sighed, segueing onto the song. Lately, Storybrooke's love scene was greatly lacking in problems. She should be happy, it meant that the people were more satisfied, and their love lives were flourishing, but it also meant that Emma had plenty less callers.

When the phone rang, she scrambled to answer it, hoping it wasn't a prank caller. "Welcome to Storybrooke's Advice Hour, I'm Emma, are you calling for love advice?"

"No, I was calling because I decided to spend my remaining monthly quote of minutes," a very bored voice deadpanned.

Emma wasn't offended, and responded, "Alright then, glad you decided to spend your minutes with me then. I'm oddly flattered. Also, you're not on air, so you also don't have to disguise your voice."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd stay like this," the caller curtly said. Then, as if thinking about it, she added, "Why did you answer the call if you're not on air then?"

"Prank callers," Emma succinctly explained. "Now, if you want to hold for a minute, I'll get back on air and you can tell me all about your dilemma."

* * *

Regina was most definitely not doing this. Waiting on line to tell a perfect stranger her romantic problems. But she was, she so was.

"Alright, and we have a caller waiting on the line, so give a warm welcome to caller number 5! Caller, you're on the air."

"…Hi," Regina awkwardly greeted.

She heard an innocent chuckle. "Hey! Alright, so fire away! What ails your romantic life?"

Letting out a deep sigh, she gave a shaky laugh. "Where to begin. My friend actually was the one who insisted I come here, she seems to believe you can help."

"And you're sceptic of that fact?" the host responded, sounding amused.

Regina let out a strangled noise. "Well I wasn't ready to put much stock on a helpline."

"Oh but this is much better than that! But I digress. Your problem?"

"It's been a while since I've been on a date," Regina blurted. She was so thankful there was no visual part to this, because she felt her cheeks flame just by saying the words. "My last three attempts at having a love life ended rather disastrously. I thought it must be something with me, so I just gave up on that, and decided to live my life without it. However, said friend thinks that my life is lacking, and that I should get back into it."

"Well, as a hopeless romantic myself, and a self-proclaimed giver of love advice, I'm all for it, you might find yourself wanting it, should you find the right partner. And even then, you can experiment, get yourself out there as 'single and ready to mingle'."

"Yes well, I'm afraid I don't really know  _how_  to go about it. I'm just afraid to get hurt again." She wasn't sure how detailed she could get, but she was sure the host would get the idea.

It seemed her message got through. "Gotcha. I still think that your best method would be to try it out. Go to the Rabbit Hole and try to flirt, or maybe make a dating profile and see if you make meaningful conversation. Give people a chance to surprise you. It won't do you any good to be afraid."

Regina sighed, gritting her teeth. "I'm not afraid. And don't you think I've tried that? I wouldn't be here if it was so simple, now would I?"

"True, but I can't know what you have or haven't done. And perhaps for starters, biting other people's heads off won't really help you in that department."

Letting out an indignant huff, she hung up. How did this woman dare to say something like that to her? As if she was some kind of idiot.

Back in the studio, Emma was left blinking. So much for that. "Well listeners, I guess that was that! Caller number 5 has hung up, and we are near the end of the hour, so I will leave you playing some tunes for the night. Good night, and until tomorrow!"

After signing off, she trudged up to the loft glumly. It was the first time someone had rejected her advice and hung up on her, and she didn't know how to feel about it. Sure, she could've been a bit more diplomatic about it, but the lady didn't need to get snippy and hang up.

* * *

The next day, Regina was a woman on a mission. After dropping off Henry at school, she walked over to Storybrooke Radio, making her way to the door. Much to her surprise, it was locked. She tried to bang on the door, but no avail.

Grumbling, she whipped out her cellphone, and tapped the radio app. She tuned in to the station, and heard the supposed Emma Swan talking.

Exiting the app, she tried to again see if she could force the door open. Nothing.

"Morning, Madam Mayor!" Regina gave an uncharacteristic little yelp and jerked her head to the sound. Sidney Glass.

"Mr. Glass! What are you doing here?"

Sidney bounced on the balls of his feet, hands clasped behind him. The town's newspaper editor was quite an odd man, but harmless really. He was like a lost and misguided puppy. "I'm just walking around, searching for a good story. And yourself? Trying to get inside the  _mysterious_  radio station?"

Regina was prepared to deny it, but then she thought better. The next best person to consult in terms of gossip was the man who saw everything and reported diligently.

"Actually, yes, I was a bit curious on the host, this Emma Swan."

"Tell me about it." Sidney chuckled. "You and the rest of the town are befuddled. She just showed up one time about four years ago, and no one has ever seen her in all that time."

"You're telling me that in four years,  _no one_  has even seen a hair of her?" Regina found that hard to believe. Not even in movies were people that good. Everyone slipped up somehow.

"Not a one."

"That's impossible."

Sidney chortled. "Impossible to you, but believe me, I once tried to stake out the place for two days. Only one who came in or out was Ruby Lucas."

Regina slowly turned her calculating eyes to the station once more. "Intriguing. Thank you Sidney."

The older gentleman gave a bit of a bow and left. Under her breath, Regina muttered, "I think it's time to uncover what exactly is going on with this radio station, and who exactly Emma Swan is."

Leaving, Regina was headed to the diner. She needed answers, so that's what she would get, one way or another.

Once inside the establishment, Regina saw that thankfully, the place was through with the rush, and the few patrons there didn't seem to be in any hurry, so she could monopolize one waitress' time. She walked over to the counter, and sat down, grabbing a menu, taking a disinterested gander at the fare being offered.

"Good morning Madam Mayor, can I take your order?" Perfect, Ruby was standing right behind the counter, a thousand-watt smile on her face, ready for Regina to start her subtle questioning.

"You know, I think I'll just have a coffee," Regina said, putting the menu down. "Afterwards, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?"

"Sure! Let me get your coffee and I'll be right back," Ruby nodded and went to fetch the coffee pot, as well as a mug with the logo for Granny's Diner emblazed on it.

She poured the generic coffee sludge onto the cup, and Regina made a mental note to not  _actually_  drink any of it if she still wanted her intestines intact.

"Alright, what's on your mind?" Ruby asked, setting the mug in front of her and looking expectant, hands splayed over the counter.

"That radio station of yours..." she began inconspicuously. But even then, the waitress' demeanour shifted ever so slightly.

"What about it?"

Regina continued as if she didn't notice. "I've been curious on the station host, Emma Swan...I haven't seen her around town."

Ruby gave a tentative quirk of her lips, clearly trying to appear nonchalant. "Oh yeah, she keeps to herself really."

"Is that so? Must be quite something if no one has ever seen her in  _four years_?" Regina countered, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh I'm sure that's not the case," Ruby was quick to respond, shaking her head ever so slightly.

"If that's true, why do I not have any record of an Emma Swan living in this town?"

Regina had her there, and Ruby closed her mouth in resignation. Something wasn't right here. Still, she pressed. "Is there any chance I can meet her? I'm finding myself intrigued by Storybrooke's mysterious, and apparently illegal, resident."

Ruby shook her head. "Not much of a chance, she's a bit reclusive."

"Reclusive is one thing, dear, another is to refuse to meet with anyone and live their life in total isolation."

"She'd rather not meet. It's a personal preference." Ruby was now sporting a frown, resolute in her answer. She was really not comfortable with the direction this questioning took.

"Very well then." Regina placed a few bills for the coffee and a tip - considering she did take the waitress' time, even though it was for naught - and left the diner, the still full mug on the counter, in front of a very worried Ruby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's this chapter for today!
> 
> Regina's very determined to see this Emma who pushed her buttons...which is easier said than done.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed this first chapter!
> 
> Also, to remain true to the whole radio host vibe, chapters will be named after songs, and if you want, you can have a listen to the playlist with all the songs, right here: 8tracks.com/applesaday/stereo-hearts
> 
> Not too spoiler-y, but if you want, you can just listen after the fic's complete!


	2. Feel Again - OneRepublic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! Today's update.
> 
> I'm ecstatic at the reaction I've been getting with this fic, I hope it continues being enjoyable!
> 
> And responding to cibom, since it was an anon review: what I meant with the census was that the town of Storybrooke has say, 1,000 people, just to put a number. If Regina also has town records and sees that all 1,000 residents are accounted for, then having suddenly heard that there's 1,001 people, she wouldn't be exactly happy, because someone is committing fraud. In terms of legality, as I understand it, it's sorta required to participate in a census for various bureaucratic reasons that my brain just sorta shut down because: legal jargon. That's all that I meant, and how I understand it, the rest was extrapolated for the purposes of this story, hope that clarifies!

Regina passed once more by the station, and found the door locked. Deciding to try another method, Regina made her way to her office, and she picked up her phone, dialing the number she had used last night.

"Storybrooke Radio," a familiar voice greeted.

"Ms. Swan! I'm surprised you picked up, you're a hard woman to find," Regina responded, a smile on her voice.

"I didn't realize anyone was looking for me."

Feigning surprise, Regina said, "Really? I find that hard to believe; as I understand it, no one has seen neither hide nor hair from you in a very long time."

"Well considering I have no hide, it would be very hard for someone to find it," came the quick quip.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Funny."

"I try. You know, I didn't quite catch your name."

"Regina Mills, Storybrooke's mayor."

"Oh."

Right at that moment, Emma was receiving frantic texts from Ruby, detailing what had gone down just a little while ago at the diner. She seemed shaken.

 _'The mayor's coming for you!'_  she ended with. Cryptic.

"Well it's very nice to meet you, Madam Mayor," Emma cordially responded. "Or rather, talk to you."

"Funny you should say that, I was wondering if we might meet…"

Emma cringed. She walked right into that one. "I'm afraid I can't, pretty busy here."

"I'm sure you can spare a moment. Certainly you can make time in your busy schedule for me?"

"Er, you know, how about I get back to you with that?" Emma attempted.

"You're a radio host, not a Hollywood actress Ms. Swan, surely-"

"You know, the song's just ending, I'll call later!" Emma pressed the 'Call End' button as if her life depended on it, and turned back to the radio. This was firm ground, solid. It'd be a fiasco if she attempted to entertain Regina's request. At the same time, she was under the impression it wouldn't be easy to shake the mayor off.

So she sighed, and tried to burrow into her work, but the Mayor's words just kept coming back to her. Then it clicked. She knew that voice. And not just from political discourses and rallies or the like. This was more recent. And it explained everything.

Soon, she found herself something unexpected; five minutes ago, she would've thought herself insane. She was picking up the phone, and dialing for the Mayor's office.

In no time at all, a cool voice greeted, with the slightest tinge of amusement in her voice. "Ms. Swan, I'm surprised; when you hung up on me, I was under the impression you were attempting to stonewall me via a ridiculous excuse."

Emma let the woman get the extremely long and superfluous greeting out of the way, before clearing her throat and admitting, "No yeah, that  _was_  my plan. But I got to thinking: why the sudden vested interest? And why did your voice sound so familiar? And then it clicked. You were last night's caller number 5. Your voice disguise skills could use some work, and I could tell. So Madam Mayor, is that what this all this is about?"

Regina wanted to lie. Exclaim indignantly that this was all blasphemy and that there wasn't a chance in this world or any other that she would be caught dead calling a love advice show. She should have responded in the negative, but found herself inexplicably saying, "Very well Sherlock, you've got me."

"I knew it!" Emma triumphantly exclaimed. After a beat, she asked, "So, how about we make a deal?"

"A deal? What could a mysterious radio host have to offer me?"

Settling back in her chair, Emma explained, "Plenty. After all, you called me with a problem first. So how about this, I help you get back into the dating game, and you stop your inquisition on my existence."

"That's quite a deal," Regina quickly responded, but she was considering it. Mary Margaret's attempts at mentioning potential suitors went ignored, and what was the harm in trying? Should Emma fail at this, she would pursue this search for the enigmatic woman once again. "But very well, I agree."

"Perfect! So, and I promise we're off the air here, do you want to explain what happened to get you so afraid of the dating game?"

So Regina explained. Of a whirlwind romance when she was a teenager with a boy named Daniel before she lost him to a horse slipping and falling. Her attempts at moving on including a relationship with a sexy man named Graham, going as far as getting engaged before she found out he was cheating on her. And finally, expanding her horizons.

"I had long found myself attracted to women, but I never acted on it. Then a woman named Mal came in, and I was smitten. But apparently we had different goals. She was looking for a bedwarmer during her pregnancy, while I gave myself completely to her. Well, you can imagine how that ended."

Emma cringed. That was quite a string of bad luck. "And now you want to try again. Okay, so what would your ideal partner be like?"

That was a loaded question, and Regina was silent for a while, pondering.

"Okay, maybe too much to tackle at once. How about gender?"

An easier question, and Regina answered, "I'm not too set, but I suppose I did find myself enjoying the company of women. Although I've been out of the dating game, I have been propositioning for one night stands, and women are always a better choice. They make are more…fulfilling."

Although unseen, Emma was sure she was sporting a vibrant blush. "Any of them interested in something more?"

Regina shook her head, even though the other woman wouldn't see it. "No. Just one night, no strings attached."

"So maybe heading to the Rabbit Hole isn't the best idea. You want a connection I'm guessing?"

"Yes. Someone who understands me, who loves me for me. Someone who can accept me, and is also good with Henry."

"Your son?" Emma asked, wanting to confirm. She knew the Mayor had a young son, but being away from the town dampened any prospects of getting to know the other residents, so she didn't know what the young boy's name was.

"Indeed."

"Did you ever think of a dating profile?" Emma tried. Ruby swore by it, but then again, she had on average five dates with different people within a single month, so she wasn't too reliable of a source.

"Definitely not. I refuse to go down that path," was Regina's firm and unwavering take on the subject.

So they continued to talk about where Regina could meet her potential love. By the time they had hung up, they were both sporting silly smiles. They had come up with a strategy for Regina: figure out what she wanted in a partner. Help her figure out what type of person she wanted, and then from that, figure out where she'd be able to find her match. Regina had originally been confused with the logic, so Emma had explained. If she was looking for a homely and stable person that was good with kids, she might be able to find them while taking Henry to the park, or at a town event. If she was looking for someone a bit more adventurous, she might try the race track. It just depended on what she considered to be most important for her romantic interest.

"What's got you so happy?" It was Kathryn, Regina's secretary and friend.

"Nothing," Regina quickly responded, brushing away her smile with a clearing of her throat.

Kathryn looked unconvinced. She walked inside the office, and sat down on the visitor's chair, crossing her legs and looking expectant. "Okay, want to try again? I haven't seen you smile this much in a very long while. Except when Henry said his first word."

Regina had a nostalgic moment for a second, before she composed her features again. "Fine. I've been talking to Emma, the radio show host?"

"Oh! I know who she is," Kathryn responded with a wink. Then her face shifted to one of surprise. "Wait… you were the caller last night!"

"Honestly, my skills at feigning a deep voice can't be that bad!" Regina exclaimed, exasperated.

Kathryn's expression was telling her that it was that bad. "But anyway, spill."

So Regina told her about the conversation. By the end of it, the blonde was squealing. "Oh that sounds so exciting! And mysterious."

"What's so mysterious?"

"Oh come on, you know that Emma Swan is a mystery, anyone that tries to find out about her never can. I heard some teens tried to break in to the studio a few years back, they found nothing."

Regina frowned. "Why did I never hear about this?"

Kathryn waved it off. "It was never reported, apparently Emma just said in a phone call 'no harm, no foul', and left it at that. But David told me what happened."

David was an old family friend of Kathryn's, and also Mary Margaret's husband. He was the town sheriff, his easy demeanour earned him the reputation of Sheriff Charming. Presently, Regina let out a thoughtful hum. "Something just doesn't add up with Emma. I mean, how come no one has ever seen her? How has she become such a mystery?"

"Come on Regina, she's a woman who enjoys mysteries and cultivates having created a mystery of her own in herself, that's all."

"And I want to solve it," Regina responded, sounding the littlest bit petulant about it. "I'm curious, I need to know."

"Well good luck. You're not the first to try, but if you do figure it out, it's going to be commendable," Kathryn said with a smile, "By the way, Ms. Smith called…again."

Regina groaned, and resigned herself to go back to work.

* * *

"So let me see if I'm getting this right. You're going to give the Mayor love advice in exchange for her not poking around here?" Ruby asked.

They were sitting on their couch across from one another, plates on their lap, eating dinner while they spoke. It was tradition for the two women to spend the end of their day together. Well, for Emma it was a break for her, she would soon leave to host her nightly show.

"Yep, that's the gist of it," Emma responded around a mouthful of food.

Ruby didn't look that assured. "This could end so badly so quickly, you know that right? Mayor Mills isn't exactly the easiest person to get a date for."

"Oh come on Rubes, she's gorgeous and has an amazing sense of humour. She's well-spoken and isn't afraid to be honest."

Blinking, Ruby groaned. "Don't tell me you have a crush on her?!"

Emma huffed. "I don't!"

"You so do Swan, don't lie to me. I can hear it in your voice," Ruby insisted, brandishing her fork at her invisible friend.

"Well, so what? It's not like I have any chances. I can entertain having a crush on her."

Ruby bit her lip from grinning, but failed miserable at it. "You've got it bad," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up! I do not!" Emma exclaimed playfully, grabbing a pillow and chucking it at her friend.

A little while later, Emma was making her way back down, setting up for her nightly show, and she had a smile on her face. Regina had sent her a message, saying she would be listening to her show tonight, and wished her good luck. So what if she had a crush. She was invisible, so that would never lead anywhere.

On the other side of town, a sleepy Regina put on her earphones and sat on her bed, tuning in to the radio station that earlier today, she had despised. But alas, talking with Emma just made her even more curious about her. She had always been a mystery lover, she enjoyed picking apart a conundrum to have it all mapped out in front of her. But she had to admit that Emma stumped her. She was friendly enough, so there was no reason for her to be a recluse as she was. And even so, surely someone would've seen her. It just made no sense.

But her musing would have to wait, Emma's voice trickled through to her ears, and that night, Regina would fall asleep listening to Emma's dulcet voice, and quiet love songs. And so it would be for the next few days, to the point that she had to admit to herself: she had a small crush on Emma. She wasn't sure how she could be falling for someone that she had never met face to face. Falling for someone's voice was even more bizarre.

"Mom?" Henry's voice broke through her thoughts.

Regina froze, glancing at her son. "What is it Henry?"

"Are you okay?" her eight-year old son asked.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Regina was quick to reassure.

Henry kept the disbelieving frown as he answered, "You're adding orange juice to your coffee."

Regina glanced at her hand, and noticed that indeed, she was doing just as Henry described. She cursed in her head - lest she wanted Henry to learn some new curse words - and put that cap back on the juice before going to dump the horrific auburn combination down her sink. So much for coffee. Probably better than Granny's though.

"So, are you okay?" he asked again.

She glanced at her inquisitive little boy. His concern for her evident in his wide eyes. "Of course, just wondering."

"About what?"

Rather than answer right away, Regina got to wondering. Perhaps a child would think out of the box enough to solve the conundrum. Mary Margaret did always say that her students could solve problems very creatively. So she asked, "Henry, do you want to help me solve a mystery?"

The way his eyes sparkled and gleamed, she might as well have just told him Christmas came early. "Yeah!"

So Regina regaled what had been happening, simplifying some concepts, but still getting the gist of the story through to him. "So how do you think she manages to not be seen?"

Henry got his pouty-thinking face on and hummed. "Maybe she's invisible!" he exclaimed finally.

Right, comics. He had just discovered the wonders of the Fantastic Four and Susan Storm. Perhaps trying for an out of the box idea wasn't the best. But she wasn't about to upset her son like that. "Perhaps, I'll have to see if Emma's secretly a superhero," she said with a wink.

He just beamed at her. "Or maybe she's a monster and has to hide herself from the world. Like Beauty and the Beast."

Regina didn't know which one was more implausible, but still chuckled. She hoped he would never lose that imagination of his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Henry, if only he knew how right he was.
> 
> A smaller chapter, but showing that Regina is definitely on a mission, and she will discover what's with Emma, or so help her. Not even getting Emma's help in the romance department will calm that fire of determination.
> 
> Love to hear your thoughts!


	3. Taking Chances - Celine Dion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Keeping this going.
> 
> A bit of a shorter chapter, but no less important! Also I'm loving all the theories everyone has, and the enthusiasm!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

"Tell me more about yourself," Regina requested. She and Emma were having one of their nearly daily conversations, and Regina decided to shift the conversation to her new friend.

"What do you want to know?" Emma asked, the slightest tremors to her voice.

With a shrug, Regina said, "I don't know, the basics. You're a mysterious woman, and hardly anyone knows anything about you. Demystify a bit."

Scrambling, Emma began listing facts. "Let's see. My favourite colour is red, I love eating, especially grilled cheese sandwiches, and my weakness is definitely my sweet tooth."

"Those are just facts, I want to know the story behind what makes you Emma Swan, reclusive radio host," Regina insisted playfully.

"Sneaky," Emma snarked. "But how about you ask what you want to know, and I'll answer with what I can lest I destroy my very mysterious reputation."

Regina let out a noise that was halfway between a snort and a strangled cough. "I will slowly unravel the mystery dear. But very well. I'm assuming you didn't grow up in Storybrooke, so why move here? It's not exactly the epitome of social life."

"Figured a small town would offer some peace and quiet. Plus my roommate Ruby wanted to help take care of her grandmother's diner. She lost all her other family recently and Granny's the only one left. I didn't have anyone else, so I tagged along."

Now Regina felt bad for asking. "I'm sorry to hear that."

But Emma didn't seem to be upset at all. "Don't worry about it, that's life huh?"

And so slowly, Regina found out more about Emma. How she was a foster child, and no one wanted her, how she never really fit in with anyone, until she was taken in by Ruby's family, her mother Anita and cousin Quinn until they both died from a car accident with a drunk driver. "We tried to make it work back in Boston, but it just wasn't doing it for us, and that's how we landed in Storybrooke."

Deciding to get back to less turbulent topics, Regina asked more innocuous things, slowly trying to form a picture of Emma. But it wasn't enough, somehow, Emma's responses didn't really give insight to who she  _really_  was, what she looked like, or where she might frequent. It just made Regina more curious.

But in the end, it only added kindle to the fire. Regina was now more determined than ever to reveal this mystery.

* * *

Over at Ruby and Emma's loft, the former was running around the place as if she had been set on fire.

"What's the rush?" Emma sleepily asked, emerging from her room, eyes wide at the chaos of Ruby darting back and forth.

"Granny apparently left a gajillion messages on my phone asking me to come early, but of course, the stupid thing didn't notify me, so I'm late, and she's going to yell at me!" It all came out in a rush, and Emma was sure that she didn't get even half of what her friend said. But she nodded and kept back. Due to her invisible state, the last thing she wanted was to become an unseen obstacle and have Ruby crash into her.

Granted, she could always wear an open jacket, but she still ran the risk of Ruby not seeing her in time. It was another peculiarity of her curse. When she put clothes on, they would become invisible right along with her, but only if they were closed. If it was open, it would be visible. The one exception to that are her beanies. They remained visible no matter what, despite being closed fabrics, but she hadn't truly experimented to see if there were other ways to make clothes visible, because more often than not, she had no need to be more visible.

"Okay, I'm off!" Ruby didn't even give Emma a chance to reply before the door slammed shut. Oh well, at least Emma could start the day at her own pace. The radio was still running the overnight playlist of songs, and she didn't have to appear until eight, just in time for her to start her morning routine of news and weather for everyone starting their day.

Little did she know that, in her hurry to head to the Diner, Ruby forgot to lock the door to the studio.

So when Regina tried the door to the radio station - a daily morning ritual that she would deny if ever asked - and found it unlocked, she didn't hesitate, and went inside.

"Hello?" she called out. "Emma?"

Hearing nothing, she made her way further in. The place was divided into rooms with floor to ceiling glass windows. One was clearly the recording studio, another seemed like a simple meeting room, and the third one held records and cd's with music for the station to use. She peeked inside and found all of them empty. "Emma?" she called out again.

Walking further, she saw a door was open. It was dark inside, except for a lone red EXIT sign on the other side of the room, presumably above a door leading outside. "Emma?" she called out again.

A few feet away, Emma was paralyzed in fear. Regina was there.  _Actually inside the studio_. Either she had broken in, or Ruby had forgotten to lock the door. The latter seemed more plausible. But she had no way of getting Regina to leave without drawing attention to herself. So she threw caution to the wind.

"Regina?" she called back.

Regina seemed to jump a bit, as if she hadn't been expecting a response after so many fruitless attempts. "Hey," she responded shyly. "I'm sorry, but the door was open and I couldn't resist."

Emma let out a small laugh. "Don't worry about it."

Squinting, Regina asked, "What are you doing in the dark?"

"Oh, I was grabbing something from the storage. I've got a meticulous system to finding things, so the darkness isn't really a bother, plus the lights are busted, I've got to fix them." Well just her luck that it was all true. She did have to fix the lights, they had sparked and fizzed out when she had gone to grab something a few minutes ago, and she had been hiding ever since she had heard Regina first call out for her. "So, what brings you here?"

"I was curious," Regina responded with a smirk.

Emma spluttered. "R-really? I thought this whole find-you-a-date thing would stop inquisitive minds from poking around…"

"I said that I wouldn't start a full-fledged investigation dear, not that I wouldn't still be curious on your nomadic existence. You're quite a mystery, and as you probably noticed, I want to solve it." Regina's smirk was playful, and it was doing things to Emma's libido that she certainly didn't want right this moment.

"Well, here I am! No big mystery," Emma chuckled awkwardly, because what could she say? 'I'm actually cursed, so that's why no one can see me; I'm invisible, the mystery is how to break it'.

"I think you standing in the dark still provides ample mystery," Regina added. "Why don't you come into the light?"

"Why don't you come here?" Emma readily riposted.

It seemed Regina had no qualms with that, since she walked right inside the dark room. "I can't guide myself solely on your voice, dear."

"Right here," Emma said, coming to stand in front of Regina.

The brunette gave a little yelp of surprise, before extending her hand towards where she thought Emma was. She touched a shoulder, and then began to slide her hand higher, past her clavicle, throat, and finally to cup a cheek. "There you are."

Years later, Regina would wonder what prompted her to kiss Emma. She didn't really know her all that well, but between the mystery and intrigue, the voice that had allowed her to sleep more profoundly than she had in years, and the fact she was seeking love advice from her, she felt a pull, one that had her surge forward to kiss what she would come to know as delectable lips.

Emma certainly didn't mind, kissing back with as much passion. They shifted, moving aimlessly until Regina felt a solid wall behind her. She sensed Emma's hands against the wall on either side of her face, bodies flush. Regina let out a moan as their kissing became more languid, and her eyes fluttered open.

She frowned and squinted, the light of the exit sign hitting her right in the eye. Then she realized what was wrong with that picture. With one hand planted firmly on the chest in front of her, she pushed the body in front of her away. "What the hell?" she spluttered.

"What-what's wrong?" Emma asked, breathless. She had stumbled back a few paces, and was trying to catch her breath, looking at Regina and noticing just from the light pooling from outside the storage area that she was dazed.

"How the hell was I seeing the exit sign even though you were right in front of me?" Regina demanded, inching towards the door.

"Please, Regina," Emma tried.

Regina shook her head, standing by the doorway. "Come to the light Emma."

"Okay," came Emma's meek response.

Stepping back to the main area of the studio, Regina looked to the door of the storage room and waited. "Well?"

"I'm right here," Emma said.

Her eyes roamed everywhere in her line of sight. Finding nothing, she pursed her lips and her nostrils flared. "Enough games. Show yourself."

Emma sighed, and unzipped her jacket, making the red cotton fabric visible.

Regina stumbled back, seeing a jacket materialize a few paces away, where a human being could have been standing. "What-"

"Voila, the mystery of the great Emma Swan," she said, tone dejected.

"You're…invisible," was Regina's obvious conclusion.

"Yep. My life for the past ten years," Emma said, stuffing her hands in her jeans.

"And how old are you?" She had never really thought to ask.

"Twenty-eight."

Regina nodded slowly, dumbstruck. "How did this happen?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I turned eighteen and I became invisible. No mysterious or shady fairy to tell me why this was happening or how to solve it. It just  _happened_."

She couldn't believe what she was seeing…or rather, what she wasn't seeing. Regina slowly made her way closer to Emma, before gingerly raising her hand to once more cup Emma's cheek. She tried to strain her eyes and see if she could see something.

Nothing. She was just looking at the wall in little ways in front of her. But she still moved her thumb a bit, brushing against soft lips, before depositing a soft kiss there.

"Why aren't you running away in fright?" Emma asked in a whisper, taking a step back.

Regina gave a sad smile, wondering why Emma was expecting such a reaction. "Why would I do such a thing?"

Emma responded with a snort and "Oh you haven't seen some of the reactions Ruby and I've had in the past whenever we had tried to introduce me to anyone new."

As Emma told her a few stories, Regina began cackling with laughter. "I promise I won't try to spray holy water on you."

That made Emma feel much better about this. Then something niggled at the back of her mind. "So…does the kiss mean-"

"You've piqued my curiosity Emma," Regina began. "At first, I just wanted to solve the mystery that was you, nothing more. Then I started to talk to you, and you seemed friendly. And next thing I knew…hearing you talk had me thinking about something, that maybe you were just the type of person I was looking for. Charismatic, friendly, energetic, funny, and a dozen other little things that made me more interested in finding out why you kept hiding. And, dare I say, I was curious to see if you felt the same way."

At that moment, Emma was speechless, all she could do was take the step forward again, and claim Regina's lips with her own. Regina let out a squeal of surprise but soon gave in to the kiss. They could figure out what would happen later, right now both were content.

They had both found someone they could take a chance on, someone who could give them what they both had been longing for: a happy ending.

* * *

When Ruby returned from work, she smelled dinner, and smiled. "Hey," she called out.

She heard clattering, and then an untied apron was running towards her. Emma nearly crashed into her if not for Ruby's fast hands bracing the invisible woman by the shoulders. "Whoa, where's the fire?"

"Rubes, you're never gonna believe what happened!" Emma excitedly squealed.

In under half an hour, Ruby was brought to speed on everything that happened to Emma after she had forgotten to lock the door to the studio.

"So yeah! We're going to see where it goes," Emma finished.

"Wow, I forget to lock the door one day, and you manage to get all of that to happen to you?" Ruby riposted. "Maybe I should leave the door open more often."

Emma lightly shoved her playfully. "Very funny."

"Okay, okay, so what are you guys going to do? Go on a date?"

"Yeah. Our options are a little bit limited, and it's double the nerve-wreck because Regina's kid, Henry, is young, but she wants me to meet him. I know she mentioned before all of this that having him like a potential date is a deal-breaker so…"

Ruby scoffed. "Em, you're literally an invisible woman, what eight-year old wouldn't be psyched out of this world at that fact?"

"Novelty dies out quickly," Emma reminded her.

"Still, I wouldn't worry, I'm sure you'll be a hit with him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So they kissed!
> 
> And they've fallen for each other! Now we just have to wait and see how Henry handles this.
> 
> I'd love to know what you thought of this!


	4. Light - Sleeping at Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically it's still the 24th, so I'm not late! But really, I was just busy with life hence my tardiness.
> 
> I feel like someone will start demanding why the chapters are shorter...I swear it wasn't on purpose!
> 
> But anyway, I'm really glad everyone liked the first kiss! I'm also really happy people noted that yes indeed, the kiss didn't break the curse...it's a curious thing as to what it could be, hmmm...

A few days later, Emma was making her way through town. There had been a few tiny occasions where she had ventured outside, but it usually wasn't easy. She wanted to interact with people, but that was impossible - as expected. So she had mastered the complicated art of being able to walk without making a sound, something that greatly annoyed Ruby because Emma had a tendency of practising by sneaking up on her.

But now, as she walked with a purpose, and wracked with nerves, she was thankful that the streets weren't too busy, so her missteps weren't heard or noticed.

When she was standing in front of the mansion with the number 108 on it, she took a deep breath, and as she let it out, she pressed the doorbell and waited.

Within minutes, the door opened. "Emma?" Regina asked, a smile already on her face.

"Hey," Emma greeted. Regina seemed happy that she was there, not the least bit reluctant to beckon her inside. Once Emma stepped in through the threshold, Regina reached out to find Emma, and once she found purchase on Emma's elbow, she wasted no time in pulling the blonde to her and kissing her soundly.

Emma was wracked with nerves at meeting Henry, but the kiss did wonders in relaxing her. Once they parted, she couldn't help the grin on her face. Regina, who had moved her thumb to softly touch her lips, noticed the smile, and donned one of her own. "Ready to meet Henry?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready, but he deserves to know," Emma said, letting out a terse breath.

When Henry was called down by his mom, he wondered if she was going to tell him why she had been so happy lately. It's not that he minded, but he thought himself as smart. Something had clearly changed, but he was curious as to the what. Bounding down the stairs, he slowed his pace at a loaded look from his mom. When he reached the landing, he looked up at her expectantly.

"Henry, there's something I want to tell you," Regina began, crouching to be at his eyelevel.

"What is it?" he asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Well, you know how I told you that sometimes, two people might like each other more as friends? How they might spend time alone with each other?"

Henry diligently nodded. "Yeah, they kiss too," he added, face scrunched up. He was at that age where he still though cooties were a thing, so Regina could only chuckle and nod.

"Yes, they kiss and hug and comfort each other by reminding them that they are wanted and loved. Well, I've found someone like that for me."

"Really?! Who?" The young boy began to look around, clearly expecting whoever it was to pop out at any moment. Emma, who was standing a few paces away while Regina spoke, shuffled ever so quietly to stand closer, before kneeling beside Regina. She brushed her hand softly by Regina's shoulder to let her know she was right beside her.

"Do you remember Emma?" Regina asked.

Henry's enthusiastic nod made even Emma smile, and her fears quell the slightest bit. At least the kid had a good concept of her built from whatever Regina had told him. Then she wondered what Regina could've been talking with him regarding her. The thought had her grinning. Regina clearly hadn't been kidding about being determined to find out about her.

"Well, it turns out you were right, she's invisible," Regina continued.

His shocked expression was everything to Emma, and she decided to speak up. "Hey Henry."

Whipping to face the direction Emma's voice had come from, his surprise only mounted as he saw nothing. She undid her jacket, and Henry gasped as it materialized in front of him. "Whoa."

He gently reached out with a small hand and pawed the sleeve of the red leather jacket.

"This is so cool!" was his verdict. Then he started spouting off a thousand questions, and Emma just had to laugh.

"Slow down Henry, I'll answer anything you want, just let me understand the question," she said.

Henry did as requested, and as Emma explained, Regina felt like the happiest woman in the world. Here she was, in the entranceway to her home, now moving to sit on the floor beside her son and the woman she had fallen for, and this felt absolutely perfect.

"Are you a superhero?" came Henry's next excited question.

"Well, if I was, I wouldn't exactly say it, now would I?" Emma returned the question in kind with a conspiratorial voice.

Henry seemed to contemplate that and agree. Regina was sure her son was now convinced that the lack of a negative answer meant that Emma was now a superhero in his eyes.

"Alright, how about we continue this over dinner?" Regina asked.

They agreed, and together, they sat at the table. Henry and Emma bonded, over comics no less.

At one point, Emma paused her conversation with Henry to say, "Regina, this is really good!"

She hadn't skimped on the chance of having a date over to cook something good. She went all out with her famous lasagna, always a hit at town events. "Thank you. It's a specialty of mine."

"I can tell!"

Later, Henry's excitement had worn him down to the point of nearly falling asleep at the dinner table, and he bid them goodnight.

"Oh, and Henry," Emma said. She crouched down in front of him and said, "I know I can't disclose whether or not I'm a superhero, but you'll keep my invisibility a secret, right? Wouldn't want the wrong people to find out huh?"

"You can count on me!" Henry beamed, before hugging her goodnight. Regina went up for a few minutes to tuck him in, and when she came back, she beckoned Emma to join her for a nightcap. They were heading to the den for some drinks before Emma told Regina to stop for a moment.

Regina gave a hum as she complied. "Hmm? What is it?"

Rather than give a verbal answer, Emma leaned forward and deposited a brief kiss. "As thank you for the lovely dinner," she explained.

"You needn't have a reason to kiss me," Regina corrected.

They sat down, and after being handed a tumbler, Emma asked, "So does this mean you want to see where this goes?"

Regina took a quick swig from her glass before nodding. "Of course, don't you?"

"Yes!" Emma answered, a little bit too quickly and too enthusiastic. "I mean-"

Waving her off, Regina was quick to reassure, "Don't be repentant about this."

"Sorry, I've just never really done this before, and I want to be sure you're okay with dating an invisible person."

Regina's free hand reached out to clasp one of Emma's knees. "Emma, I don't mind. It'll be new for the two of us, but I think we can work it out, don't you?"

Emma didn't hesitate. "Yeah. I want this."

And so they began to date in earnest. Due to Emma's condition, they were usually confined to Regina's house - she couldn't very well leave Henry alone, and roping one of her friends to babysit would lead to a lot of probing questions - but Emma made sure Regina wasn't doing all the work.

Sometimes, Emma brought food, or she got Ruby to order take-out for her to bring.

"You know…" Emma began. It was late one night, and Emma was lying on the couch, her head in Regina's lap, enjoying the ministrations of fingers combing her hair.

"Hmm?" Regina hummed in response.

"We could always ask Ruby to look after Henry. I know you don't know her very well, but I can vouch for her. She has a good heart and a way with kids."

Regina smirked down at where she hoped Emma's eyes were. "Oh I have no doubt she does. I am curious as to why you'd want Henry out of the way…are you planning something?"

Emma shifted, sitting up and moving to kneel in front of Regina's crossed legs. "Perhaps," she whispered before kissing Regina deeply.

* * *

"What do you look like?" Henry asked one night.

Emma swallowed her food and replied, "Uhm, blonde hair, hazel eyes, pale skin, and tall-ish."

Regina snorted, and Emma turned to face her. "What's so funny?"

"You're not that tall dear," Regina responded with an amused smirk.

"Oh come on, I'm taller than you, and you wear  _heels_ ," Emma countered.

With a huff, the brunette rolled her eyes.

Henry however, was still interested in asking more questions. "How d'you know how you look like if you're invisible?"

"Well, I wasn't always invisible, and I doubt my appearance has changed that much, except maybe grown more into my body," Emma added the last part as a jab to Regina, who she saw rolled her eyes yet again, having understood the comment for what it was. "Plus I can see myself when I look down."

"Not in the mirror?" Regina clarified.

"Nope. But don't worry, not a vampire or a ghost," Emma quipped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was that for today!
> 
> Now, how about a little bit of drama? Well, not drama drama, but you'll see!


	5. Echo - Jason Walker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay folks, I've been dealing with a banging migraine, so if no one minds, I'll skip over responding to the reviews today, just know I am absolutely loving the reactions, and I'll try to get to them tomorrow.
> 
> Just one thing that I realized that I forgot to mention/clarify, Emma can see herself, but it's a translucent kind of seeing, she can tell she's invisible, and when clothes are visible and the like.
> 
> Now, for some drama! Works nicely considering tonight's ep, huh?

Every now and then, Regina and Henry were invited to dinner with Mary Margaret and David. The few times she had tried to turn down said invitation, it had been pointless. Mary Margaret wouldn't take no for an answer.

Usually she didn't mind spending time with her friends, but now that she was dating Emma, some conversation topics would be harder to avoid.

"So, Kathryn told us you were seeking advice from Emma regarding your love life," Mary Margaret started. They were sitting on the couch of the loft apartment that the couple shared, watching as David valiantly challenged Henry to a video game race.

"Yes she is." Regina hoped that Mary Margaret would leave it at that, but alas, that's not how her friend worked.

"Any luck?"

Deciding to keep it vague, she replied, "We're making some progress, nothing definitive yet, but as they say, Rome wasn't built in a day."

"True enough. But are you two still communicating only by phone, or has the enigmatic radio host swung by your house?" Mary Margaret coyly asked, before adding in the same tone, "Or maybe, you to hers?"

"Mary Margaret!" Regina exclaimed, feigning that she was affronted. "I'm not sure I'm understanding where you're getting these implications from!"

"Kathryn also told me you were very hell-bent on finding out everything that made Emma the mystery she is. I wouldn't be surprised if that curiosity became something…more." Mary Margaret's eyes were twinkling in mischief.

Regina decided that it was best to not reveal anything, and instead remained silent, watching as Henry overtook David on the Rainbow Road.

"Oh come on Regina, I'm just teasing you. All I want is for you to be happy, and I'm glad Emma is helping you find it."

Although Regina was certain Mary Margaret wouldn't full out panic if she found out Emma's secret, she knew it wasn't hers to tell, and thereby just smiled and reassured her friend that she didn't take offense, and safely managed to steer the conversation away to calmer waters.

A few days later found the two girlfriends sitting in Emma and Ruby's apartment alone playing poker. It was a relaxed affair, drinking shots and giggling more and more as the night went on.

"So, Mary Margaret's been curious about how progress is going with you finding me a suitable partner," Regina started. She could hold her liquor relatively well so she was able to say that phrase with a mostly straight face, only crumbling at the last two words and how ridiculous they sounded.

Emma let out a giggle. "Really? What did you tell her?"

"I just kept it vague. But I feel like she's going to start an inquisition soon. She's not satisfied with my answers, and she always gets what she wants," Regina paused, and then added, "Unless you'd be open to me revealing the truth?"

"I had been considering it," Emma mumbled, a bit more sober at the thought. She couldn't stay hidden forever, and she definitely didn't want Regina to be cooped up just because she had decided to pursue a relationship with an invisible woman. "D'you think she'd be the type to freak out if you did?"

"She might be more excited that I'm even dating someone to bother with those kind of details, but she's always been a bit jumpy," Regina mused.

So it was settled. The next time Regina was invited to one of Mary Margaret's dinners, she briefly mentioned that she would be bringing someone along. To say she was nervous would be an understatement. But even so, it wasn't even a fraction of the dread Emma was feeling.

She of course wanted to be there for Regina, but after having her circle of friends be limited to one for the past decade, to have it expand to four people more in the span of a month and a half made her feel dizzy.

"Would it be too rude if I made up some excuse to not go?" Emma asked. It was a few hours before Regina was going to pick her up so they could go to the Nolans' apartment, and her stomach was doing very strange somersaults.

"You have to go, Em!" Ruby reassured her. "You can't escape it forever, unless you plan on getting sick every day that Mary Margaret hosts one of these shindigs and invites your girlfriend along."

With a groan, Emma had to admit her friend was right. Which was why she was no sitting on the passenger seat of Regina's car on their way to Mary Margaret's house.

"So Emma," Henry began babbling from the backseat, "did you ever think about how to break the curse?"

Emma, glad for the reprieve that allowed her to not have to think about her incoming doom, turned to face him. "Well, it's a bit hard…there aren't that many books to help me figure out how exactly to become visible again."

Henry scrunched his face up in concentration. "Maybe it's like those fairytales, and all you have to do is kiss your True Love!"

"Maybe!" Emma responded enthusiastically. She hadn't ever considered it to be honest, but maybe if this was a curse, something like a kiss with her true love could definitely solve it. The question was how she went about getting that kiss. Maybe it was too soon for her to consider Regina her true love, but she was smitten with her currently. In time perhaps she'd break the curse.

"Or maybe you can make an anti-invisibility cloak!" Henry continued.

Regina smiled from her seat. She was entertained by Henry's suggestions, and she knew Emma was glad to be able to focus on something else rather than having to meet Regina's friends. Despite not being able to see her, she knew Emma was nervous, fidgeting all over her seat. She took one hand off the wheel and reached across to give a comforting squeeze to Emma's leg. Emma's hand on top of the hand giving her own squeeze was all the 'thanks' Regina needed.

"Here we are," Regina said after a few more minutes of driving. They were pulling up to a modest building that had probably been built in the 80's. They got out of the car and made their way in. The place didn't have a functioning elevator, so they went up the stairs. Henry had run ahead, giving Regina time to gently reach out, luckily touching Emma's arm, and pausing their ascent.

"Hey, if you don't want to do this, it's fine," Regina softly said.

"I'm okay," Emma responded, way too breezily for it to be sincere.

Regina rolled her eyes. "You're not. You're nervous, I can tell, and it's fine if you're having second thoughts. They don't have to know."

"They're your friends, they deserve to know you're dating someone, even if said someone is an invisible radio host," Emma countered.

Making her way closer to Emma, Regina leaned forward to deposit a kiss on Emma's lips. Due to Emma's invisibility, she didn't always manage to be on target, and this time was no exception, managing to make it a kiss on the nose. She still got Emma to let out what sounded like a giggle, so she considered herself successful. "Yes they're my friends, but your comfort is more important."

"Mom?" Henry called out, already on the third floor, looking down to where his mom stood halfway up the stairs. "Are you guys coming?"

"Just a second Henry," Regina responded. Turning back to Emma, she asked, "So, what do you want to do?"

Taking Regina's hand in hers, Emma gave a small squeeze. "Let's go do this."

When Mary Margaret opened the door, she could barely hide her sagging shoulders and lips down-turning at only seeing Regina and Henry. "Hey you two! Come on in!"

The trio entered, and they saw the house was a bit fuller than they expected. Kathryn was also there, with her husband Jim, and their son who was Henry's age, Fred. The minute the two boys saw each other, they greeted with only the enthusiasm a couple of children could have and went to sit down on the couch to talk.

"What's with the bigger party?" Regina asked with trepidation.

"Oh we just decided to have more people over!" Mary Margaret responded dismissively.

A little too dismissively, so much so that Kathryn came up to them and added, "We actually were told in no uncertain terms that you'd be bringing a special someone, and we just  _had_  to come."

Regina rolled her eyes but Emma saw the uncomfortable smile. If there's one thing that Emma learned about Regina, is that she doesn't enjoy flaunting. She liked having a private life, so anything that threw that off-kilter made her disconcerted. And sarcasm was her best defense. "Well, I'm glad you settled against inviting the entire town."

"Relax Regina," Kathryn said, going to hug her friend. "I can see your plus 1 didn't show up."

Emma had moved to the side when the two women hugged, lest she wanted Kathryn to come in contact with her. However, she didn't see the coat hanger, and nearly toppled it over, stopping it with a quick hand and righting it.

"What the-" Mary Margaret murmured, having caught the movement.

Regina swallowed thickly and to distract, said, "How about we sit down?"

The other two women nodded, joined by their husbands. Emma shuffled closer, but didn't sit beside Regina. "I have something to tell you," Regina started, fidgeting the slightest bit.

"What is it Regina?" Mary Margaret prompted.

"I'm dating someone."

Kathryn smiled reassuringly. "We figured as much. So Emma was successful?"

Despite her nerves, Regina smiled. "Yes she was very much successful."

If Emma weren't so nervous as well, she might feel smug at the fact.

"In fact, she is the one I am dating."

Both Kathryn and Mary Margaret began to squeal. "That's so exciting! So what's the problem? Is she extremely private?"

Regina opened her mouth, but no words came out; she was at a loss for what to say. "Regina?"

Emma silently put a comforting hand on Regina's shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze. Regina smiled and brought a hand to cover it. The other four adults traded curious gazes, but said nothing. "She's invisible."

David was sure he heard wrong. "I'm sorry, did you just say invisible?"

"Yes."

Kathryn glanced at Regina's hand still seemingly hovering over her shoulder. Could it actually be? It seemed impossible. "Is she here?"

Once more, Regina answered affirmatively. Kathryn moved her head as if expecting to see something, but there was nothing there.

Deciding that there was no time like the present, Emma cleared her throat and said, "Hi."

The reaction was instantaneous. Shock was the popular reaction, especially Mary Margaret's automatic crossing herself. David stumbled to stand up and went around to couch to where Emma was supposedly standing. Holding his hand out, he flashed a friendly grin. "Hey, I'm David."

"Emma," she responded, taking the hand and returning the strong grip with one of her own.

"This is surreal!" Kathryn exclaimed, also bounding up to stand beside David. Regina just smiled and turned around to face the commotion behind her, sitting on her knees while her elbows rested on the top of the back of the couch. Even Jim joined in, raising a tentative hand for Emma to shake which she did with gusto. Eventually, Kathryn hugged her, and facing Regina, made a thumbs up gesture for her.

Regina just smiled and enjoyed how her friends were reacting to her invisible girlfriend.

The only one who didn't join in had been Mary Margaret. When Regina turned to see if her friend was okay, she didn't find her. A few seconds later, Mary Margaret called from the kitchen, "Dinner's ready!'

The children went to sit by the tv, watching a movie, thankfully leaving the adults alone. It was tense for the first few minutes, until Regina had had enough, and she rounded off on her friend. "Is there a problem, Mary Margaret?"

"Oh no! No problem, I'm just trying to wrap my head around it," the brunette tried to flash a reassuring smile, but absolutely failed at it.

Emma clutched her fork a bit tighter, feeling uncomfortable. Thankfully Kathryn was a chatterbox riposting with Regina, smirking at Regina's dry comebacks, and the two men were also being good sports about it, so conversation flowed. At one point, Mary Margaret gave in and joined the conversation as best as she could, but she looked about as comfortable as if she was currently having to hug a cactus.

Thankfully, the night was reaching a close, so the new couple and Henry were able to slip away under the guise of it being late, and it wasn't that far-fetched of an idea when Henry conked out before the car engine revved up. Before Regina released the clutch, she turned to where Emma was. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Could've used a little less of Mary Margaret's brand of acceptance, but it was pretty fun otherwise," she replied with an unseen smile.

"I'll try to talk to her tomorrow to see what was really going on. But I wanted to ask if you wanted to accompany me back home?" Regina asked, seeming like the perfect image of poised calm, until Emma noticed the too tight rein on the steering wheel.

"I'd love to," Emma softly replied, bringing her left hand to rest over Regina's right. Regina visibly relaxed, arms sagging as she gave Emma a fond smile, eyes crinkling.

Steering away from the curb, they made their way back to Regina's house. Emma sent a text to Ruby and let her know of her plans, asking for her to take over the show tonight. Once she was done she asked, "So, is Mary Margaret's problem the fact that I'm a woman, or invisible?"

"The latter, I believe. I had forgotten she was raised by the convent, deeply religious and pious nuns. You are someone who disturbs her stable world, so she was visibly shaken. I doubt that it's that you're a woman, as you saw when she first found out about you dating me, before the invisibility factor kicked in."

Emma nodded slowly. Knowing her experience with the people that had tried to douse Ruby with holy water, and exorcise the spirit that they believed Emma was, it wouldn't be too far-fetched that Mary Margaret was freaked with Emma's existence. "Well, how was she when you were dating Mal?"

Regina cringed. "Not the best example. Mary Margaret hated Mal from the beginning, and it was mutual. She didn't want me with her, but I think that had more to do with her personality than her being a woman."

"Let's hope it is."

"Well she was the one who first suggested my determination to find out why you were so mysterious might turn into something more," Regina responded confidently.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, but it was by no means uncomfortable. When they arrived at the Mills house - or as Emma called it in her mind: the mansion - Emma offered to carry Henry inside. The young boy was out like a light, and there was no need to wake him. Once he was safely in her arms, she waited for Regina to close the door and lock the car before following her girlfriend inside.

"Are you okay carrying him upstairs?" Regina asked. "I can prepare the couch if he's too heavy."

"Nah, I'm fine," Emma responded. She spent plenty of her downtime also exercising in the loft, so Henry was hardly a burden to carry. She managed to get him up the stairs and set him gently down on the bed. Regina took charge of taking his shoes off, shrugging his jacket off, and getting him into bed. It felt so damn domestic, that it took Emma a few minutes to remember that she was only dating Regina. But maybe one day, this would be her family. Though at the same time, there was a big difference between dating an invisible woman that piqued her curiosity and marrying said invisible woman. She had no idea if Regina wanted this to be long term.

The thought made her resolve falter. This was too much too quickly for her, and her flight instincts were kicking in. She waited until Regina closed the door to his room before she said, "You know, I just realized that I should probably head back home."

Regina tried to hide her disappointment, but Emma saw it, her heart crumbling the slightest bit thinking that she had caused it. But she needed out, this was too much. "Certainly…I can drive you-"

"No, no, it's okay," Emma quickly interjected, heading downstairs.

Once they were in the foyer, Emma stretched forward to leave a kiss on Regina's cheeks.

Regina blushed a bit and said, "Thank you for coming tonight, despite Mary Margaret's…"

"It's alright," Emma responded. "Could've been worse, right?"

With a nod and a silent laugh, Regina agreed. There was an elephant in the room, but Regina didn't know how to tackle it, and Emma didn't want to tackle it, so with an awkward goodbye, she left.

The streets were empty so she allowed herself to focus less on her steps, and instead mull over her thoughts and fears. When she finally made it to the studio, she undid her jacket so Ruby would know it was just her. She looked surprised and waved at her, but Emma merely popped in to say she was tired and needed to sleep. She had no energy to figure herself out, less so other people's problems.

Back at Regina's house, as had become customary, Regina settled into bed to listen to Emma's radio show. But much to her disappointment, Emma's soothing voice was not there to help ease her asleep.

* * *

"I need answers."

"Well good morning to you too, Madam Mayor," Ruby greeted, looking a bit confused at seeing Regina in front of her looking like a woman on a mission. "Can I interest you in some coffee?"

"No, I need to speak to you privately," Regina said tersely.

With a nod, Ruby excused herself with Granny, and led Regina to a backroom. "What's this about?"

Regina sighed. "What else? Emma."

"Oh." Emma had been in a funk for the past few days. She had closed herself in her room and refused to come out. Ruby had been placed in charge as the interim radio host. When she had tried to ask her friend, she just said she wasn't feeling well. "Not sure how much I could tell you, she hasn't been feeling so great…did something happen at the dinner with Mary Margaret?"

This wasn't the type of response Regina had been hoping to get. She thought she'd be able to get concrete answers, not more questions. "It went fine for the most part, but she was fine when she got home, I thought she was going to stay over."

Ruby nodded. "When she texted me, that was the impression I got. What happened when you guys returned?"

So Regina recalled everything and told Emma's roommate diligently. "I can't fathom what made her change her mind."

Regina saw Ruby mull over something for a few seconds before she beckoned her to follow. They walked over to where Ruby kept her jacket and bag. She fished out a set of keys and held them out, pointing to each in turn. "This is the key to the studio, and that's for the loft. Maybe she'll talk to you."

Ten minutes later, she was opening the door to the loft. She walked over to the door she knew was Emma's from the last time she was there, and knocked.

"Go away Rubes," Emma's muffled voice filtered through the closed door. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

Regina gave a fond smile as she said, "That's because I'm not Ruby. May I come in, Emma?"

There was a pregnant pause before Emma said, "Sure."

Pushing the door open, Regina found herself in Emma's bedroom. The shutters were half-closed, so some light was filtering through, and she noticed that there was clearly someone on the bed under the covers. She went over to sit on the edge of the bed, and gently reached out to the lump of fabric. "Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"No," came the almost childish response.

Sighing, Regina leaned forward and peeled back the covers a bit. Emma let out a groan at the light hitting her eyes, but Regina was undeterred. She reached out and stroked Emma's cheek, before placing a soft kiss there. "Please?"

Growing bold, Emma peeled back her covers before grabbing Regina by the hips and pulling her to lie down with her. Regina let out a squeal of laughter as Emma covered the two of them. It was the first time they were in bed together, and it felt so nice. They shuffled around and settled with Regina on her back, and Emma to her right, curled up on her side, head in the crook of her neck. "Is this a short-term thing?"

Regina had barely heard the question, so she looked down at where she was sure Emma's eyes were meeting hers. "Is what short-term?"

"Us. Dating."

"Why would it be short-term?" Regina asked, bringing her right hand to stroke Emma's back.

And the dam broke and her feelings came tumbling out, Emma explained her fears about her being invisible as something that meant that Regina was just thinking of her as a shorter engagement, not something that would last. "Last night, bringing Henry to bed, and watching as you put him to sleep felt so domestic, I wanted to think it was us as a family but-"

"But what?" Regina prompted when words failed her girlfriend.

"But I wasn't sure if you wanted me to become part of your family one day," Emma finished.

Regina shifted so she was hopefully facing Emma. "Listen to me. I like you very much Emma, and I think we have a something wonderful. You are an amazing girlfriend, and Henry loves you. I can definitely see us one day as a family. I don't consider your invisibility a hindrance, not at all. Okay?"

Emma felt a bit more assuaged at Regina's concrete words. "Okay. Sorry for freaking out on you."

"It's quite alright," Regina said, giving Emma a brief but deep kiss. When she heard Emma give a brief moan, she backed off and smirked. "Now come on, you have a radio station to run."

Together, Regina helped Emma get back on her feet and down into the studio, as well as let Ruby know that she didn't have to worry about her interim job as host for the radio since Emma was back to feeling like herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! Much longer chapter, and a little bit of drama to cement Emma's fears and how Regina feels.
> 
> But it's much more smoother sailing from here on out! Got quite some entertaining hijinks coming out in the next chapter, so I hope everyone likes it!


	6. Open Your Eyes - Snow Patrol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another chapter!
> 
> We're nearly at the end, so let's get this much lighter chapter started!

About a week later, Emma walked over to Mary Margaret's house. She knocked on the door and waited. After a few minutes, Mary Margaret opened the door, and Emma rushed to start talking the minute she saw that Mary Margaret probably thought there was apparently no one at the door.

"Hey Mary Margaret, it's me, Emma. Please don't panic, or close the door on me, I just wanted to talk to you, may I come in?" she said in one breath.

The brunette's face was comical in its surprise. Soon enough, she recuperated. "O-of course, come on in."

Mary Margaret played good hostess, offering her something to drink and gesturing for them to sit. The only indication that she was nervous was the intense fidgeting. But Emma didn't let that deter her from starting her speech. She came here to transmit a message, and she hoped it would be successful.

"Sorry for showing up unannounced, but I wanted to talk to you, and I wanted to make sure you would listen to me." Emma took a deep breath before continuing. "I really like Regina. I can see myself having a future with her. I also know how important her friends are to her, and obviously, you are one of those friends. When we met last week you seemed a bit…perturbed to find out I was who Regina was dating. I guess I want to make sure that my dating Regina won't create a rift, or make you uncomfortable, so I wanted to talk, find out if there's anything I can do to…well, dissuade tension?"

To say Mary Margaret was surprised would be an understatement. But rather than answer, she asked, "You really care for her, don't you?"

"Yes I do."

The brunette sighed and gave a sad smile. "I'm sorry, I have nothing personal against you. I suppose I got freaked and am trying to wrap my head around you being invisible. It's like something out of a book you know?"

Emma chuckled, understanding. "Yeah. Hence why I kept to myself."

"But it's good you're opening up! Plus you make Regina happy. Ever since she started to date you, she's been lighter. Henry helps of course, he brought hope when she thought her love life wouldn't amount to much, but made it flourish," Mary Margaret beamed. Now she understood the claim that Mary Margaret sounded like she had just come out of a fairytale story.

They ended up talking more, mostly about each other, and by the end of it, Mary Margaret engulfed Emma in a hug and said, "Just remember, if you hurt her, I don't care if you're invisible, I  _will_  hunt you down."

And Emma believed that without a doubt. She looked like she would have no problem carrying out the deed. So Emma promised to take care of Regina, and left in good graces.

* * *

A few weeks later, it was Halloween, and Henry was determined to get Emma to participate. It was a bit of a last minute endeavour, but no less adorable when a heavily make-upped Henry dressed as a vampire, complete with powder white skin, a sharp suit, slicked back hair and plastic fangs scrambled to find what he thought would be the perfect costume for her. He didn't even tell her what the costume was.

Regina was nowhere to be seen, apparently changing into her own costume. Somehow, it had turned into a family outing, and Emma was much too shocked by being considered part of the 'family' to even comprehend anything else.

"Here! This should work!" Henry exclaimed, holding up a neatly folded lump of fabric in his arms.

Emma frowned but still grabbed the linen, grabbing the edge with both hands and letting it unfold. "It's a bedsheet…"

Henry nodded. "Yep! It's an old one of mine, it's really big, but I still kept it. We can cut holes then you can see through it!"

"Will she be okay with that?" Emma asked, following Henry into the kitchen, where she could grab a pair of scissors and cut the fabric.

"Yeah. She wanted me to throw it out, so I know she won't mind."

So Emma did a crude job of cutting three holes, and then threw it onto herself. Looking through the eyeholes, Henry seemed absolutely ecstatic. "I can see you!"

Emma let out a bark of laughter as Henry rushed to hug her and she eagerly returned the hug. Then they heard heels and whipped around to see Regina walking towards them, a fanged smile on her face. In Emma's - very biased - opinion, she looked drop dead gorgeous, no pun intended. She was wearing a blood red dress that clung to her like a second skin, jewels and other oddities adorning her body, as well as a black feathered boa around her neck.

"Now I feel like I missed the memo on coordinated costumes," Emma pouted, seeing that mother and son were meant to be a family of vampires.

"To the contrary, I think you make for an adorable pet ghost of the ancient house of von Mills," Regina responded, her voice shifting ever so slightly to take more of a regal tone with a tiny bit of an accept.

"Oh funny," Emma scoffed.

Regina looked ecstatic but she first said to Henry, "Henry, why don't you go get your jacket and grab your candy bucket? Emma and I will be right there."

Henry didn't question it and rushed to do as she asked. Once they were alone, Regina sauntered over to her and wrapped her arms around Emma's neck. "I wasn't exaggerating about one thing. You look adorable."

Emma scoffed. "Compared to you looking like sex on heels, I feel a bit outdone."

Regina smiled fondly, leaning forward to claim Emma's lips through the fabric. "Well, I consider you to be a walking irony, wearing a ghost costume to be seen, so I think you're outdoing all of us. Now, are you read to go trick or treating?"

"Let's do it!" Emma beamed, moving away and then taking Regina's hands and moving them towards the foyer where Henry was waiting.

* * *

"I look ridiculous," Emma bemoaned for possibly the 43rd time that hour.

"I beg to differ," Regina commented, adjusting the beanie on Emma's head.

The mission had been simple. It was a snow day, and all of Storybrooke was a winter wonderland. As was tradition, Regina would take Henry to the local park to toboggan, but this time, they wanted Emma to join them. So trying to make Emma visible by burying her under a pile of clothes that wouldn't disappear when put on her was their current task. Thus far, they had managed to get a jacket on her, on top of the very heavy and thick wool sweater that she was wearing backwards so it would open to the back, a scarf covering her nose and mouth with the ends hanging down her back under her jacket, a beanie. And the jacket's hood resting on top. The rest was proving a little bit difficult.

"Maybe she can wear her pants with the fly down?" Henry suggested.

"Henry!" Regina exclaimed, affronted.

"That could work," Emma said. "Let's try."

It did work, the sweater was pushed down so it would cover the open fly, now came the boots. Removing the laces did the trick. If anyone didn't know any better, they'd think Emma was just  _really_  cold. But it worked.

As for gloves, it turned out that the hybrid of fingerless gloves and mittens stayed visible when Emma put them on. Finally, they were ready, and left for the park.

"Come on Emma, let's go tobogganing!" Henry said, taking her hand and dragging her up the hill. Regina declined, claiming that it wasn't for her.

Emma had never actually tobogganed before in her life. The foster homes never had enough to pay for proper winter equipment, and none of the homes Emma had been to during her childhood were too keen on the idea.

But after going down the hill three times, Emma was hooked on it. She felt like she could spend hours doing it. By the sixth time, she knew she wanted Regina to go with her.

"Hey Henry, how about we take your mom for a spin in this?" Emma asked in a conspiratorial whisper as they settled into the toboggan at the top of the hill.

"Do you have a plan?" Henry enthusiastically asked.

"Do I ever!"

From the bottom of the hill, Regina looked with curiosity as her son and her overly bundled girlfriend talked while sitting on the toboggan. A part of her should have been suspicious that they were up to something, but Mrs. Drew had just decided to talk to her. By the time they parted, she looked back at her little family and saw they were heading down.

She grinned as she heard their laughter and squeals of excitement. When they landed by her feet, they shouted "Sneak attack!" and she didn't have time to shield herself before the first snowball hit her on the right side of her face. After a dozen more snowballs, she felt herself getting picked up, and heard Emma say, "Come on Henry, go, go!"

Regina didn't fight her fate as she was too overcome with laughter to try and stop whatever they were planning. Once Emma put her down, she realized she was on top of the hill. "After you, Madam Mayor," Emma said with a courteous bow, gesturing to the toboggan Henry was placing on top of the snow.

She began to shake her head, but it was futile. Emma dragged her to sit behind her, and then grabbed the reins. "Ready?"

"Nope," Regina squeaked, hiding her head in Emma's jacket.

"Come on, it'll be fun, okay?" Emma's voice softened. "I promise it's just once."

"Okay," she answered, arms coiling right around Emma's waist. In reality, she had never gone because she thought she'd fail at it, rather than a fear of anything else.

"Jump in in front Henry!" Emma called out. Once they were all in, they pushed off and away they went.

After a few seconds of hiding and swearing she wasn't going to look, Regina relented, and she found herself exclaiming the same excited squeals as Henry and Emma. By the time they landed, she said, "Again!"

Eventually, they were all too dizzy to take another ride, and instead settled into a snowball fight. Regina obviously won, having roped Henry to tag team with her - probably revenge for Emma's earlier attack - and Emma conceded defeat after she landed on the snow. They made snow angels and soon enough, it begun to get a bit chilly as the sun began to set, and they headed back home.

Home. Emma was practically living with them by now, she had her own drawer in the dresser, and a section in the closet especially for her. After this perfect day, Regina knew what her next step had to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more back to a shorter chapter, but it was a bit of a snapshot to how their lives had adapted with Emma.
> 
> So, any guesses as to what this next step is?


	7. Ready to Take a Chance Again - Barry Manilow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Veeery short chapter for the penultimate chapter of the story!
> 
> We're nearly at the end folks!

"Hey Regina, what's up?" Ruby asked, seeing the mayor enter the diner.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked.

Ruby nodded and led them away from the chaos towards the backroom. She had absolutely no idea what Regina could talk to her about. They got together often enough for poker night on Friday's, so she had no idea why Regina wanted to meet her alone.

"I know Emma doesn't really have family per se, but you're the closest thing to it, and well," when words failed her, she brought out a small velvet box with a gorgeous engagement ring nestled inside.

Gaping, Ruby was barely able to get out a breathy "Oh my god!" before she was hugging Regina tightly. "You're going to make her so happy!"

Regina was truly hoping it was the case, and with Ruby's clear approval, Henry's excited agreement that Emma should officially become part of their family, and her friends' support - Mary Margaret had even wondered why she hadn't asked before - she was ready to try and ask Emma tonight.

* * *

"So, fancy dinner at home and Henry off with Mary Margaret, what are you planning?" Emma mused after they were done dinner. Lounging together on the couch and everything was peaceful and relaxed, she could stay like this forever.

To be honest, Regina was too nervous to make a quip or a lie. She had to do it now.

But it seemed that Emma picked up on Regina's nerves. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes. Hopefully, everything's wonderful."

Emma wasn't sure what to make of it, but she got an idea when Regina got off from the couch, and got down on one knee. "Okay, where do I start? How about with how you, Emma Swan, have taken my life for a wild ride? One that I never want to end? How you always manage to make me smile, and how you're so good with Henry, and you're the exact final piece this family needed all along? You make loving you so easy, and I know you think that you being invisible is a hindrance or something detestable, but I think it makes you that more amazing." She took out the ring box before asking, "So what do you say, Emma? Would you marry me?"

For the first few seconds, Emma was too shocked to even react. And especially since Regina couldn't gage Emma's reaction, she was specifically nervous. "Yes," she choked out, getting off of the couch and going to kneel in front of Regina and take her face in her hands, kissing red lips. "Of course I will," she murmured after they parted.

* * *

They had decided on a summer wedding, with only a few close guests. Jim would be officiating it, at Kathryn's insistence that he should get the online classes done to be able to make it official, since trying to find someone else would lead to a lot of questions and awkward conversations which Emma would want to avoid on her  _actual wedding day_.

She still couldn't wrap her mind around it.

The most complicated part would be Emma's wedding dress. In the end, Ruby and Mary Margaret accompanied her. They had a plan. In order to not draw attention to themselves, Ruby would try the dresses on, and Emma would comment silently on how it looked like to Mary Margaret, who would give the final verdict as if it were her own.

After trying six dresses, and none of them being the one, Emma got an idea and whispered into Mary Margaret's ear. Mary Margaret beamed and asked the attendant helping them, "How about a dress that looks like it's out of a fairytale?"

Ruby looked less than pleased with the suggestion, but decided to take one for the team. When she came out wearing the third dress in the new selection, Emma knew it was the one. A strapless dress with a smooth bodice that opened up to a long flowery skirt, gossamer fabric shimmering under the lights. "We'll take it!"

A few minutes after adjusting, they were told the dress would be ready in a week. Emma couldn't wait to show Regina.

* * *

When Ruby went to pick up the dress, Emma had gotten an idea. She wouldn't be able to actually show Regina the dress on their wedding day since it would be invisible, she decided for the next best thing, and had both of them head over to Regina's house with the dress in tow.

"Ruby?" Regina asked, answering the door.

"And me!" Emma greeted enthusiastically, going to kiss Regina. There had been a fiasco while trying to duplicate the keys to give Emma her own set, so she was still confined to having to ring the doorbell.

"Alright love birds, can you leave that for later? This isn't exactly light," Ruby grumbled from the porch, holding the dress bag.

As Regina beckoned them inside, she said, "What's going on?"

"Let me just change, and I'll explain," Emma vaguely said. "Maybe we should do this upstairs in the bedroom."

Together, they all went upstairs to the bedroom Regina and Emma now shared. Regina was curiously waiting sitting primly by her bed, while Ruby and Emma holed themselves inside the spacious closet.

"There should be an irony here," Ruby quipped as she straightened the dress over Emma.

"Oh come on, I'm as out as I can be. I'm not in any closet," Emma grumbled.

"I beg to differ, you're in one now." That had garnered Ruby with a playful punch to her upper arm.

Once they were done, Ruby left the closet first and bid Regina goodbye. "My part is done, have fun with your bride!"

Before Regina could even try to make sense of Ruby's parting words, she gasped. A seemingly floating wedding dress was making her way towards her.

"I figured that, since you wouldn't be able to see the dress on the day of, you should get to see it beforehand, tradition be damned," Emma explained, twirling around. The dress was unzipped, and therefore, visible. "What do you think?"

Tears began to fall down Regina's cheeks as she got up from the bed and rushed to engulf Emma in a hug. "You look gorgeous. I am the luckiest bride in the world."

Emma laughed and said, "I think  _I'm_  the luckiest bride, but how about we just settle that we're both lucky?"

"Deal," and Regina sealed it with a kiss. It was hard to believe they would be married in a week. It felt so surreal and so freaking  _amazing_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Perhaps a bit U-Haul-ish, but hey we're near the end!
> 
> Sorry again for lack of responding to reviews, I'll answer them before the last chapter which will be posted tomorrow!


	8. Stereo Hearts - Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! And we're at the end!
> 
> I've been very entertained by everyone wondering about the sexytimes, but alas, that won't be happening in this story, sorry!
> 
> Thank you for all the lovely comments, let's get the ending started!

Since the wedding was a private affair, they decided to hold it in Regina's backyard. Mary Margaret and Kathryn had taken it upon themselves to decorate the entire place, accepting no one's help. Then again, no one wanted to put themselves in the middle of the flurry of movement that were the two friends.

Soon, everything was ready. Ruby went to turn the music player on, and put herself in position as Emma's maid of honour. Due to the fact that neither woman had family of which to speak, David had insisted on walking one of them down the aisle. Regina insisted that Emma should have the honour, so as the music flourished, Regina turned from her spot at the altar to glance back to the house, where the sliding doors to the garden were being opened by Henry.

Fred had decided he would be the flower boy, so he began prancing forward and throwing flowers from the basket, until he reached the front and joined his mom who was the maid of honour on Regina's side.

But Regina wasn't paying attention to that. She was watching as Emma's dress made her way closer with David in tow. They had decided to pin the dress closed near the top, but otherwise keep it open so it would be seen. Regina felt that it was only fair.

Once they reached the front, David made a small bow to Regina - much to Mary Margaret's enjoyment, who was tittering behind her - and left to join Ruby as to even out the amount of people on both sides of the event. Henry then approached them with the rings they had picked out on a plush pillow.

Jim cleared his throat, and they began. Emma and Regina were clutching each other's hands, standing looking at one another as best they could.

"You look beautiful," Emma whispered.

Regina blushed slightly and ducked her head a bit as to not make it noticeable. She felt her right hand being squeezed and knew Emma saw it.

"Do you, Emma Swan, take Regina Mills to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Jim asked.

"I do," Emma responded without missing a beat.

When Jim asked the same of Regina, the reply was instantaneous as well. "I do."

"Very well, by the power vested in me about a month ago, I now pronounce you both as wives. You may now kiss your bride."

They didn't waste a second before gathering the other into their arms and kissing gently. They heard a few gasps, but they didn't really react until Emma felt Ruby zip her dress up. She broke the kiss in surprise and turned to face Ruby in confusion. "What was that for?"

But Ruby didn't answer, she just continued looking shocked. In fact, everyone looked shocked. "Is everything okay?"

"Emma," Regina breathed, reaching up to cup Emma's cheek.

"What is it?" Emma asked.

"I can see you." And indeed she was taking in the wonderful visage that was her now-wife's vibrant hazel eyes widening as she looked down at herself and saw that she was indeed now completely visible before looking back up to grin at Regina. Emma looked perfect. A joyful face framed by long flowing blonde locks. Exactly how she imagined her.

"Emma!" Henry squealed, rushing up to hug Emma.

Emma had tears of happiness in her eyes as she scooped Henry up in one arm, and brought Regina in for a family hug. "I love you both so much."

Regina let out a laugh and wiped Emma's tears. "As do we."

The rest of the wedding day was spent in jovial celebration, with dancing and singing. Emma found herself grinning the entire time, kissing Regina whenever she could.

At the end of the festivities, after they put Henry to sleep, Emma commented jokingly as they undressed, "You know, Mrs. Swan-Mills, I hope you won't grow bored of me now that I'm visible."

Regina let out a rich laugh. "I think it'd be impossible for that to happen, Mrs. Swan-Mills. Visible or not, you capturing my heart is what keeps me tethered to you, and will continue for as long as we both live."

And for the little orphan girl who for many years felt shunted, practically invisible to the world because she wasn't wanted, until she actually became invisible the day she was set to become an adult and released to the world, those words meant everything for her. Because she was loved, and she was wanted for all of who she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tadaaa!
> 
> As everyone was expecting, Emma became visible! I hope the explanation made sense, and that it was an enjoyable wedding for everyone to read!
> 
> I'm really happy that the reactions to this little story were so happy, and I'm sorry to everyone who wanted this story to continue, but alas we're at the end!
> 
> So thank you once more for all the reviews and comments and everything. I'll get back to my [kinda not really] regular updates, so hope you stick around to read some other stories!


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